‘Stir-crazy’ Irene victims flock to Starbucks

Think about it. There’s coffee. There’s internet access. There’s one on every other street corner.

Starbucks spokesman Alan Hilowitz told Bloomberg News the company is trying to reopen shuttered stores as fast as possible, largely because hurricane victims are looking for a place to gather.

From that report:

The “vast majority” of Seattle-based Starbucks’ stores on the East Coast are open, and few sustained damaged, while some remain closed because of power outages, said Hilowitz… adding that he was unable to provide exact numbers.

“We are trying to get open as quickly as we can, knowing that people do use Starbucks as a gathering place and for Wi- Fi,” Hilowitz said.

Other companies seeing spikes in business since the hurricane worked its way up the eastern seaboard? Lowe’s and Home Depot, for starters.